Animal Atlas Original Illustration

Animal Atlas Original Illustration

675.00

This multimedia collage was inspired by a book I had as a kid, and it's the biggest piece I've ever made, at 20" x 24". To make it, I hand-drew a map of the world using watercolor pencils before adding water to achieve the watercolor effect. Then, I drew each animal using ink and colored pencil before cutting each one out by hand, adhering it to the map, and labeling it in ink.

Because this piece is a collage, the original is truly in a class of its own above the print version. I love the accessibility of prints, and my printers do a really remarkable job; but there's a reason I love spending hours and hours drawing the animals on a separate sheet and cutting each one out by hand, and that's because the end result is so stunning. On the original, each animal rises above the flat surface of its background, showcasing the handmade nature of this one-of-a-kind piece. That's the kind of magic that simply can't be captured in a print. With over 50 hours invested in it, this piece was truly a labor of love and I can't wait to share it with you and send it off to its forever home!

20% of all proceeds from this piece, including the sale of the original, will go to Rainforest Trust. Rainforest Trust is an organization that strategically buys and protects specific areas of land to save threatened and endangered species, working with local people and organizations in each place every step of the way. Some examples of their projects include a land purchase to protect the Southern Woolly Spider Monkey in Brazil and the creation of a "Red Panda Community Forest" (which will be 430,050 acres!) to help save red pandas, pangolins, and other threatened species in Nepal. In completing projects like these, they benefit all animals (and humans!) by protecting the delicate balance of ecosystems worldwide and by saving rainforests, which directly helps to combat climate change. I couldn't be more excited to help raise funds for this awesome organization and I invite you to join me in celebrating their work!